Conveying apparatus.



No. 794,877. PATENTBD JULY 18, 1905.

A. MQDOUGALL.

CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. a, 1904.

PATBNTBD JULY 18, 1'905.v

A. MODOGALL. CONVEYING APPARATUS.

PPLITION FILED FEB. 3,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nl? K, 1 n n 4 l Y l v 01 ...22H 1 PATENTED JULY18, 1905.

A. MGDOUGALL.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 1113.3, 1904,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented July 1s, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,877, dated July 18,1905,

' Application filed February 3, 1904. Serial No. 191,833.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known thatJ I, ALEXANDER McDou- GALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State ofMinnesota, have invented new and useful `Improvements in ConveyingApparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention, broadly considered, relates to improvements in conveyingapparatus and in which ore having sand mixed therewith is conveyed toamechanism, through which the ore is conveyed and separated from the sandand during which separation is subjected to a flow of water. The sandafter being separated from the ore together with the water used in theseparating process are deposited in a suitable reservoir from which thesand and water are removed to a distant point and the' sanddepositedupon a dump, the water drained from the dump into a suitable reservoiror equivalent receiver, and the water returned from this receiver to thereservoir to be used over again, whereby the water is repeatedly usedfor conveying purposes, all of which will be fully describedhereinafter.

In the accompanying' drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view ofan apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionalView on the-line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing more clearly the ore-chutes anda car or cars adapted to receive the cleansed and separated ore. Fig. 3is a perspective view showing the general arrangement of the differentparts of my apparatus.

My apparatus is here shown in conjunction with any suitable form ofconveyer, by means of which the ore is conveyed from the mine into myimproved conveying and separating apparatus.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, 1 indicatesa mine shaft oropening,from which passes any suitable form of conveyer. As here shownthe convcyer 2 is of the skipper form, and, as illustrated in Fig. 2,one of the shippers 3 is dumping its load into the hopper 4 at the,upper end of the separating mechanism of my apparatus. The hopper 4 isprovided with an inclined bottom 5, and this inclined bottom 5 isprovided with a plurality of` riflies 6, preferably in the form ofrailroad-rails, though other forms may be provided. Located at a pointin a plane below the hopper 4 is a suitable screen 7, and a spout 8establishes communication between the lower portion' of the hopper 4 andthe inlet end of the screen 7. The screen 7 is placed at a suitableangle, as shown, and a stream of water is supplied to the hopper 4through the medium of a suitable pump 9 and a pipe 10, having its outletend leading into the hopper 4. From the foregoing it will be observedthat the ore as it is received from the minewith sand mixed therewith issubjected to a stream of water as it is falling into the hopper 4, andthis stream of water vigorouslyagitates the ore, which materiallyassists in the separation of the sand therefrom, and when the ore andthe sand strike the bottom of the hopper the iiow thereof and also theHow of the water is retarded bythe riiiies 6, which also materiallyassists in the separating operation. When desired, there may be severalof these separating-screens, and as here shown there are three, and theyare located in vertical alinement and constitute the separatingmechanism of my conveying apparatus. The several screens 7 haverelatively graded sized openings, the large openings being in the upperscreen, relatively smaller openings in the intermediate screen, andstill smaller openings in the lower screen, whereby the larger pieces ofore-roll out of the upper screen 7 and the finer/v pieces, together withthe sand and water, fall therethrough into a suitable sluice l1 and passthrough the spout 8 therebelow into the intermediate screen, and theparticles of ore too large to pass through the openings or mesh of theintermediate screen 7, together with the sand and the water, falltherethrough into the similar sluice `1l therebelow and into the lowerscreen 7. The linal or lower screen 7 has its openings of such a size asto separate nearly all ofthe ore from the sand; but the Very fineparticles will fall therethrough into a similar sluice 11, locatedtherebelow, and this mixture of iine ore, sand, and water is conveyedfrom the lower sluice l1 to a spout 12 into an' overflow-hopper 14. Theore l5, which is rolling from the several screens 7, falls'onto suitablechutes 16 and is conveyed by these chutes to cars 17 or to any suitablepoint. If the ore is to be collected in its graded condition,the severalchutes will convey it into separate cars, as illustrated, or to separatereceivers.

Located below the overflow-hopper is a suitable reservoir 18, into whichthe overflowing sand and water fall. The heavier particles of ore 19will settle at the bottom of this overflow-hopper 111 and can be removedtherefrom periodically through the medium of a suitable valve-outlet 20.

As here shown the pump 9 obtains its water-supply from the reservoir 18through a pipe 21, whereby the water for separating the sand from theore is repeatedly used, and the reservoir 18 may be replenished withwater from the mine or other source, should it become necessary to doso.

As illustrated, the sand will settle at the bottom of the reservoir 18and is removed therefrom through the medium of a suitable pump 22 andconveyed through the pipe 23 to a distant sand-dump 24:. Locatedadjacent the sand-dump 24 is a suitable receiver 25, which may consistof low land or a cavity, as here illustrated, and the water drains fromthe sand-dump 24 into the receiver 25. By means of a pump 26 the wateris conveyed from the receiver 25 through the pipes 27 and 28 back to thereservoir 18 to be again used through the mediuml of the pump 9 forseparating the sand from the ore.

From the foregoing description it Will be observed that my conveyingapparatus provides means for removing sand and water to a distant point,collecting the water and returning it to the point at which the sand isdeposited to be again used for the purpose of conveying the sand theredeposited to a distant dump, and it includes means for conveying sandand Water to a point in the form of a reservoir to be removed therefromto a dump, the water drained from the dump and collected and returned tothe sand and water collecting reservoir.

As here shown the screens 7 are of the stationary form; but it will bereadily understood that they may be of any, other desired form. Theseveral forms being so well known in the art, it is deemed suficient forthe purpose of illustrating my invention to show the stationary form ofscreen.

I prefer to use a centrifugal form of pump, (as here illustrated,)though it will be readily understood that other suitable forms of pumpsmay be utilized Without Adeparting from the scope and spirit of myinvention.

My apparatus is adapted for use in Washing ore, phosphate-rock, or othersubstances, depositing the refusie matter and Water into a reservoir andremoving the refuse, draining the water from the dump and collecting it,

and returning it again to the reservoir,.there by using it repeatedlyfor conveying purposes.

In carrying out my invention any suitable form of conveyer may be usedto convey the ore to the separator, and the separator may consist of oneor more screens, according to the requirements of the particular kind ofore being handled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a conveying apparatus, the combination ofa reservoir, separateliquid and substance supply to said reservoir, a conveyer for conveyingthe combined liquid and substance to a point distant from said supply, areceiver adapted to receive the water from the deposited substance, anda conveyer conveying the water from the said receiver back to thereservoir, whereby the same water is repeatedly used for the conveyingpurposes.

-2. In a conveying apparatus,'the combination of a settling-reservoir,separate water and sand supplies to said reservoir, whereby the sandwill settle to the bottom of the reservoir, a conveyer extending to thebottom of the reservoir to engage the sand, and adapted to convey theWater and sand to a distant dumping point, a receiver located adjacentthe dumping point and adapted to collect the water therefrom, and awater-conveyer for conveying the waterfrom the said receiver back to thereservoir, whereby the same water is repeatedly used for conveyingpurposes.

3. A conveying apparatus, including a reservoir, a material-supplyindependent of the reservoir, a water-conveyer connected to thereservoir and subjecting the mineral to aseparate supply of water as itis fed to the reservoir, to separate the san-d therefrom, a conveyeradapted to convey the sand and water of the reservoir to a distant dump,a receiver adapted to collect the Water from the said dump, andaconveyer for conveying the water from the receiver back to thereservoir.

4. Aconveying apparatus including an oreseparator, means for conveying.the ore to the inlet end of the separator, a water-supply to the inletend of the separator, a reservoir adapted to receive the Water and theseparated material from the said separator, a conveyer connected withsaid reservoir and adapted to y convey the separated material and thewater to a distant dump, a receiver adapted to collect the water fromsaid dump, and a conveyer for conveying the water from the said receiverback to the reservoir.

5. A. conveyer including an ore-separator, a conveyer adapted to conveythe ore to the inlet end of the separator, a water-supply to the inletend of the separator, an overflow-hopper adapted to receive the waterand separated material from the separator, a reservoir adapted toreceive the separated material and the IOO IIO

Water from the outlet of the separator, a conveyer adapted to convey theWater and separated material to adistant dumping-point, a receiveradapted to collect the Water from the dumping-point, and a conveyerconveying the Water from the receiver to the reservoir.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing I Witnesses.

ALEXANDER MCDOUGALL.

Witnesses S. GEO. STEvENs, DONALD MCLENNAN.

